Rudder control arrangement



Aug. 27, 1963 K- SCHILLING RUDDER CONTROL ARRANGEMENT Filed July 20, 1960 '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 27, 1963 K. SCHILLING 3,101,693

RUDDER CONTROL ARRANGEMENT Filed July 20, 1960 2' Sheets-Sheet 2 KM SW United States Patent 3,101,693 RUDDER CONTROL ANGEMENT Karl Schilling, chenkendorfstrasse 34, Minden,

Westphalia, Germany Filed July 20, 1960, Ser. No. 44,213 Claims priority, application Germany July 27, 1959 9 Claims. (Cl. 114-463) The present invention relates to a rudder control arrangement, and more particularly to an arrangement for steering a ship provided with two, or more, simultaneously operated rudders.

It is known to provide ships with two or three parallel rudders which are simultaneously turned through angles of over 55 degrees. However, the known rudder arrangements of this type have the disadvantage that the steering action terminates when the angle of attack reaches 90* degrees.

In other rudder arrangements according to the prior art, a plurality of rudders are turned to a terminal position in which adjacent rudders abut each other to form an angular guide surface. Rudder arrangements of this type are subjected to very high pressure acting on the forwardly facing composite guide surface,whi1e the flow of water along the rear surface is insufficient for producing the forces required for steering. Consequently, waiter flows above and below the edges of 'the abutting rudders, and substantially reduces the desired steering effect.

It is one object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of known rudder arrangements, and to provide a rudder control arrangement in which at least two rudder means can be turned to positions in which the angles of attack of the rudder means are substantially diiferent.

Another object is a rudder arrangement in which the rudders have different angles of attack and define a gap between each other in transverse positions thereof, so that different water streams impinge the rudders while some water passes through the gap, and cannot impede the the turning movement of the ship.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a rudder arrangement in which the angle of attack of one rudder is greater than 90 degrees in terminal positions, so that the propeller stream is deflected in forward direction to produce a rearward motion and rapid turning of the ship.

With these objects in view, the present invention mainly consists in a rudder control arrangement which comprises at least two rudders, and means for turning the rudders about the respective axes thereof to transverse positions in which the angles of attack of the rudders are substantially different and in which the rudders define a gap between each other which is located in a vertical plane extending in the longitudinal direction of the ship.

The rudders are turned at different angular speeds so that in either turning direction, the angle of attack of the leading rudder is greater than the angle of attack of the respective trailing rudder. In one embodiment of the invention, the different rotary speeds of the rudders are obtained by a transmission including oval gears.

If the respective leading rubber means has an angle of attack greater than 90 degrees when arriving in the terminal position, the impinging propeller stream is deflected in forward direction, and produces a reaction force driving the ship in rearward direction, so that the ship can dock without reversal of the motors.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be 3,101,693 Patented Aug. 27, 1963 best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side view of the rear portion of a ship provided with a rudder arrangement according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the arrangement of FIG. 1; 7 FIG. 3 is a schematic fragmentary plan view illustrating the transmission means by which the rudders are turned;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary schematic horizontal sectional view taken on line 44 in FIG. 1 and illustrating the neutral rudder position corresponding to the position of the transmission illustrated in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary schematic horizontal plan view illustrating another operational position of the transmis- FIG. 6 is a fragmentary schematic horizontal sectional view taken on line 44 in FIG. 1 and illustrating one terminal position of the rudders corresponding to the operational position of the transmission illustrated in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary schematic sectional plan view illustrating the flow conditions in a rudder arrangement according to the prior art;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary schematic horizontal sectional view. illustrating the rudder means according to the present invention in a position intermediate the positions illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 6;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary schematic horizontal sectional view illustrating a modified arrangement of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary schematic horizontal sectional view illustrating the modified embodiment of FIG. 9' in a terminal position;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary schematic horizontal sectional view illustrating a neutral position of the rudders in accordance with a modified arrangement; and

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary schematic horizontal sectional view illustrating the rudders of FIG. 11 in a terminal position.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, the rear portion 1 of a ship has a propeller 2 located in a vertical plane of symmetry. Two rudder means 3 and 3' are located on opposite sides of the vertical plane of symmetry, and have shafts 5 and 5' turnably mounted in tubular members 4 and 4 supported on the hull of the ship.

As best seen in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, each rudder shaft 5, 5' has an oval gear '6 secured thereto. An oval drive gear 7 is fixed on a control shaft 8, and meshes with oval gears 5 and 5'. Control shaft 8 further supports a large bevel gear 9 which meshes with a bevel gear 10 whose shaft 11 is connected to the steering wheel of the ship by means which are known and not an object of the present invention.

When the gear means are in the position of FIG. 3, the

oval gears mesh with each other at points in which the effective radii are of an intermediate length. The rudders 3, 3' assume the neutral position illustrated in FIG. '4 extending in the direction of the flow lines slightly inclined to each other or substantially parallel to each other. When control shaft 8 is turned by operation of the steering wheel, not shown, oval gears 5, 5' are turned by oval drive '7 so that at the meshing point of gears 5 and 7 the shortest radius of gear 7 and the longest radius of gear 5 is effective, while at the meshing point of gears 7 land 5', the longest radius of gear 7 and the shortest radius of gear 5 is effective. Consequently, during movement of the gears from the position of FIG. 3 to the position of FIG. 5, rudder 3 has turned at a smaller rotary speed than rudder means 3, and in the terminal position illustrated in FIGS. '5 and 6, the angle of attack or of rud- -5 in der 3 is smaller than the angle of attack ,8 of rudder 3.

An intermediate position is illustrated in FIG. 8, and it will be seen that the angle of attack of rudder 3 is smaller than the angle of attack of rudder 3. In the intermediate position of FIG. 8, as well as in the terminal position of FIG. 6, a gap having a width a forms between the rear edge 13 of rudder 3 and the front edge 12. of rudder 3.

The terminal position illustrated in FIG. 6 is obtained by turning the rudders 3, 3 from the neutral position of FIG. 4 in counterclockwise direction to the position of FIG. 6-. During such turning movement, rudder 3' leads, and rudder 3- trails in turning direction, while during movement of the rudders in opposite turning direction to the other terminal position, not illustrated, rudder 3 will be the leading rudder, and rudder 3- will be the trailing rudder. In any event, the leading rudder will have a greater angle of attack in the respective terminal position, and the respective trailing rudder will have a smaller angle of attack in the respective terminal position.

in the intermediate position of FIG. 8, a major portion of the propeller stream flows along the front face of rudder 3, another portion passes through the gap between edges 12 and i3 and along the rear face 15 of rudder 3, while about 20% of the propeller stream flow along the front face M of rudder 3 in a direction opposite to the main flow of the propeller stream. The propeller is assumed to rotate in a direction normally producing forward movement of the ship. However, in the position of the rudders 3 and 3 shown in FIG. 8, the ship will not move in forward direction since the entire propeller stream is transversely deflected, but will rapidly turn in starboard direction. Substantially 60% of the propeller stream is effective on rudder 3 to turn the ship, substantially 20% of the propeller stream passes between the rudders, and substantially 29% is deflected by rudder 3 and tends to turn the ship in port direction. Consequently, 60% of the propeller power is effective to turn the ship starboard.

In the conventional arrangement according to the prior art as illustrated in FIG. 7, the two rudders as and 3d are turned through substantially 85 degrees to a terminal position in which the rudders slightly overlap and do not form a gap between each other. The stream of water produced by the propeller impinges the composite surface of the rudders, and 60% of the stream is deflected in starboard direction due to the streamlined shape of the rudders, while 40% are deflected in port direction and tends to turn the ship port. As a result, only 20% of the propeller power is effective to turn the ship starboard, as compared with 60% of the propeller power in the arrangement of the present invention sothat the steering force is threefold increased, and the time required for turning the ship through the same angle is reduced by appnoximately 40%. While the rudders of the prior art as shown in FIG. 7 cannot be turned more than 90 degrees, turning of the control shaft 25 through 90 degrees will effect turning of rudder 3 through 60 degrees, and

'of rudder 3 through 120 degrees, as illustrated in FIGS.

and 6. The stream lines indicated in FIG. 6 show that a part of the propeller stream is effective on the rear face of rudder 3, that another part is at least partially effective on the front face 14 of rudder 3, and that only a small part is deflected in port direction. Since rudder 3 deflects part of the stream in forward direction, a reaction force develops which urges the ship to move rearwardly, while turning. In this manner, the maneuverability of the ship is substantially increased, and it is not necessary to reverse the motor of the propeller during a docking maneuver. When the rudders are turnedto the position of FIG. 8, the rearward motion of the ship terminates, but the turning motion is maintained. Further turning of the rudders to reduce 41 the angle of attack, will result in a simultaneous forward and turning movement of the ship.

FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate a modified embodiment in which three rudders 3, 3, and 3 are provided. Rudder 3" is located in the vertical plane of symmetry passing through the propeller axis, and rudders 3 and 3' are located on opposite sides of the plane of symmetry equidistant therefrom. The arrangement is again such that the three rudders are turned through different angles, the rudders leading in turning direction moving at a greater rotary speed so that in the terminal positions of the rudders, the respective leading rudders have a greater angle of attack than the respective trailing rudders. For example, in the terminal position shown in PEG. 10, rudder 3 has an angle of attack of 60, rudder 3 has an angle of attack of and rudder 3" has an angle of attack of Due to the different angular positions of the rudders, gaps are formed between the rudders permitting part of the propeller stream to pass through the gaps, and to either produce a turning moment acting in the desired direction, or to be ineli'ective so that the counteracting moment produced by the stream deflected by rudder 3 is not increased. It will be understood that an arrangement according to the prior art in which no gaps are formed between a plurality of rudders will cause the stream of the propeller to be divided into two almost equal parts, so that the resulting moment available for turning the ship is very small. In the arrangement of P168. 9 and 10, the rudder shafts are preferably provided with oval gears as explained with reference to FIGS. 3 and 5.

FlGS. ll and 12 illustrate the arrangement of the present invention as applied to a tow barge or lighter having no propeller. The rudders 3 and 3 are normally in the slightly convergent position illustrated in FIG. 11 corresponding to the flow lines produced by the surface of the barge. The rudders are turned through different angles, as explained with reference to PEG. 8, but it may not be necessary to turn the rudders as far as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8. The water flow along the side of the barge impinges the rudders, and has the steering eifect explained with reference to FlG. 8. As compared with conventional arrangements in which the two rudders tum parallel to each other at the same rotary speed and has the same angle of attack, the turning moment is at least 20% increased.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the rudder angles described above are only :given by way of example, and that the relation between the angles of attack of the different rudders will be chosen in accordance with the shape of the hull of the ship, the size of the rudder, the arrangement of the propeller, and the size of the propeller to obtain a steering effect, as desired. The transmission including oval gears can be, of course, replaced by any other means eifecting turning of two or three shafts at different rotary speeds.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of steering arrangements differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a rudder control arrangement for turning a plurality of rudders at different angular speeds, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made 'without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A rudder control arrangement, comprising, in combination at least two rudders, each rudder being turn- :a'b-le about an axis, said axes being parallel; and control means connected to each of said rudders for turning said rudders about the respective axes of said rudders from a neutral position through intermediate transverse positions to a terminal transverse position, the angles of attack of said rudders in said transverse positions being substantially different, said rudders defining a gap in a plane passing through the inwardly located edges of said rudders, said .gap in said terminal transverse position of said rudders having a width in said plane between said inwardly located edges of said rudders that is substantially less than half the distance between said axes.

2. A steering arrangement comprising, in combination, .a ship having a vertical plane of symmetry; at least two rudders located on opposite sides of said vertical plane of symmetry of the ship and being mounted on said ship :for turning movement about vertical axes equidistant from said plane of symmetry; and control means connected to each of said rudders tor simultaneously turning said rudders about the respective axes of said rudders to transverse positions in which the angles of attack of said rudders are substantially different and in which said rudders define a gap in a plane passing through the inwardly located edges of said rudders, said plane defining with the rudder on the outer side or" the turn an angle up to 90, said plane extending parallel to said plane of symmetry.

3. A rudder control arrangement comprising, in combination, at least two rudders, each rudder being turnable about an axis, said axes being parallel; and control means connected to each of said rudders for turning the rudder on the inner side of the turn at a greater rotary speed and the rudder on the outer side of the turn at a smaller rotary speed about the respective axes of said rudders firom a neutral position through intermediate transverse positions to a terminal transverse position, the angle of attack of the rudder on the inner side of the turn in said terminal transverse position being substantially greater than 55, said rudders defining a gap in a plane passing through the inwardly located edges of said rudders, said gap in said terminal transverse position of said rudders having a width in said plane between said inwardly located edges of said rudders that is substantially less than half the distance between said axes.

4. A rudder control arrangement comprising, in combination, at least two rudder-s, each rudder being turnable about a vertical axis, said axes being parallel; mo-

tion transmitting means connecting said rudders for turning movement with each other and including transmission means for turning the rudder on the outer side of the turn at a smaller rotary speed than the rudder on the inner side of the turn so that in a position in which the angle of attack of the rudder on the inner side of the turn is greater than 55, the angle of attack of the rudder on the outer side of the turn is substantially smaller than the angle of attack of the rudder on the inner side of the turn and said rudders have a transverse position in which said rudders define a gap in a plane passing through the inwardly located edges or said rudders, said gap having a width in said plane between said inwardly located edges of said rudders that is substantially less than half the distance between said axes; and control means connected to said motion transmitting means for affecting simultaneous turning of said rudders.

5. A rudder control arrangement comprising, in combination, at least two rudder means, each rudder means including a rudder shaft and a rudder; an oval gear mounted on each of said shafts; a control shaft; an oval gear mounted on said control shaft intermediate said oval gears and mes-hing with the same; and means for turning said control shaft so that the rudder means on the outer side of the turn turns at a smaller angular speed than the rudder means on the inner side of the turn so that in a terminal transverse position of said rudders, the angle of attack of the rudder on the inner side of the turn is substantially greater than the angle of attack of the rudder on the outer side of the turn, said rudders defining in said terminal transverse position a gap in a plane passing through the inwardly located edges of said rudders, said plane defining with the rudder on the outer side of the turn an angle up to 6. A steering arrangement comprising, in combination, a ship having a vertical plane of symmetry; three rudders mounted on said ship for turning movement about vertical axes, one of said axes being located in said plane of symmetry and the other of said axes being equidistant and located on opposite side or" said plane of symmetry; and control means for turning said rudders at different rotary speeds to transverse terminal positions in whim the angle of attack of the rudder on the inner side of the turn is greater than the angle of attack ofthe rudder in the middle, and in which the angle of attack of the rudder in the middle is greater than the angle of attack of the rudder on the outer side of the turn, the outer rudders defining with the rudder in the middle two gaps, each gap being located in a plane passing through an inwardly located edge of an outer rudder and through the edges of saidmiddle rudder, said planes defining with said rudder in the middle and with the rudder on the outer side of the turn angles up to 90, respectively.

7. An arrangement as set forth in claim 6, wherein said planes of said gaps are substantially parallel to said plane of symmetry.

8. An arrangement as set forth in claim 6, wherein the rudder on the inner side of the turn has an angle of attack substantially greater than 90, and wherein the rudder on the inner side of the turn has an angle of substantially 60 in the terminal position of said rudders.

9. A rudder control arrangement, comprising, in combination, at least two rudders, said rudders being turnable about parallel axes respectively, each of said rudders having a leading edge and a trailing edge spaced from the respective axis thereof, said trailing edge being spaced a substantially greater distance from the respective axis than the respective leading edge; and control means connected to each of said rudders for turning said rudders about the respective axes of said rudders from a neutral position through intermediate transverse positions to a terminal transverse position, the angles of attack of said rudders being substantially different in said transverse positions, said rudders defining a gap in a plane passing through the inwardly located leading edge of one of said rudders and the inwardly located trailing edge of the other of said rudders, said gap in said terminal transverse position of said rudders extending in said plane between said inwardly located and trailing edges of said rudders respectively a distance less than half the distance between said axes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,872,038 Hitzler Aug. 16, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS 277,022 Great Britain Nov. 3, 1927 1,106,851 France July 27, 1955 1,183,776 France Feb. 2, 1959 

1. A RUDDER CONTROL ARRANGEMENT, COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION AT LEAST TWO RUDDERS, EACH RUDDER BEING TURNABLE ABOUT AN AXIS, SAID AXES BEING PARALLEL; AND CONTROL MEANS CONNECTED TO EACH OF SAID RUDDERS FOR TURNING SAID RUDDERS ABOUT THE RESPECTIVE AXES OF SAID RUDDERS FROM A NEUTRAL POSITION THROUGH INTERMEDIATE TRANSVERSE POSITIONS TO A TERMINAL TRANSVERSE POSITIONM THE ANGLES OF ATTACK OF SAID RUDDERS IN SAID TRANSVERSE POSITIONS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY DIFFERENT, SAID RUDDERS DEFINING A GAP IN A PLANE PASSING THROUGH THE INWARDLY LOCATED EDGES OF SAID RUDDERS SAID GAP IN SAID TERMINAL TRANSVERSE POSITION OF SAID RUDDERS SAID GAP IN SAID TERMINAL TRANSVERSE POSITION OF INWARDLY LESS THAN HALF THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID AXES. 